*Rachel Hartigan.
FIANNA FÁIL have announced the addition of Ardnacrusha’s Rachel Hartigan as a candidate in the Shannon Municipal District for the local elections in June.
Rachel’s addition makes her the youngest candidate in the county thus far that will appear on the ballot paper for the 2024 local elections.
She was one of four nominees for Fianna Fáil’s selection convention in the Shannon MD in November. Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) in an exclusive interview with The Clare Echo announced his decision to withdraw in advance of this vote and with the directive from party headquarters to select just two candidates.
Of the 92 votes cast in this convention, Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) received the most with 45, followed by David Griffin (FF) with 31 and Rachel with 16.
At the convention, there was unanimous demand from party stalwarts and elected representatives for Rachel to be added to the ticket by Fianna Fáil HQ. Cllr McMahon, Johnny Moroney, Robert Frost, Senator Timmy Dooley (FF), Cathal Crowe TD (FF) and Cllr O’’Gorman all voiced their desire to see the twenty one year old added to the ballot paper.
Over the weekend, Rachel received correspondence from the party confirming her addition to their ticket alongside Cllr O’Gorman and Griffin, news which she said she was “absolutely delighted” to receive.
Rachel stated, “If elected, I want to be a strong voice for young people in our area. But what affects young people in this country affects people of all age groups… a 50 year old might struggle as much as a 25 year old affording a house in our beautiful locality. The lack of public transport in our area affects the 70 year old retiree as much as the 17 year old teenager”.
A politics student in UL, Rachel commented, “Our area in general has been underrepresented for a few years. One thing I have heard over and over again when I’ve been out meeting members of the community, is that there is a sense that Westbury, Shannon Banks, and Lakyle/Keelgrove/Ballyglass are the ‘forgotten estates’, along with Parteen village. We deserve to have a local voice on the council to highlight and prioritise the issues in our locality. Having grown up in Ardnacrusha, gone to school in Parteen, and living in such close proximity to Westbury and Shannon Banks, I am as local as it gets”.
If elected in June, I will bring about positive change for our community by providing strong and effective representation for our locality on the Council,” she added.
Deputy Crowe said he was “thrilled” with Rachel’s addition to the Fianna Fáil ticket. “I am confident that she will be elected and make an excellent public representative,” he said of the candidate who is a past pupil of his at Parteen NS and also a former intern in his constituency office.
He stated, “Since my election to the Dáil in 2020 my home parish has been without a ‘home grown’ councillor or candidate – Rachel doesn’t get more local. Rachel will join hard-grafting Cratloe native, Cllr Pat O’Gorman and Newmarket-on-Fergus’ David Griffin, a cousin of mine on the election ticket for Fianna Fáil. Pat is doing fantastic work and David has hit the ground campaigning, I am confident with these three excellent candidates that we can win three seats”.
